The Power within Innocence

Chapter 2 - Hanei Town

Hitoshi san pov: (the head minister)

Today was the day the girl would be arriving. We had received a letter several days ago with someone asking if she and her brothers could move into our town from the city. It was something I had found strange at first. Why would someone wish to move in from the city to this small town? After all, people from the city were always so prideful with all their technology, gadgets, transport, modernization and all that. I saw no reason for someone to want to move into a town that didn't have all that.

Nonetheless, after I had read the whole letter, I had understood her family circumstances. She and her brothers had lost their parents in an accident only recently. She wouldn't be able to pay for the costly lifestyle of the city so she wanted to shift to the countryside where she would be able to get a simple job and find the change of place as a way to get over the loss of her family. I sympathized for her.

I did see this as an opportunity as well. We could get a very good impression with the higher ups for helping someone from the city life adjust well and live here in this town. If we got compliments from someone who lived in the city and shifted here by helping her feel welcome especially after the incident of losing her parents, we could get higher funding as well as stronger influence for personal favors.

This town was under the jurisdiction of the main city but their inspection was restricted to once a year. The rest of the time, the governing was left to one family.

Through the generations, the Akizuki [autumn moon] family had governed this town. They took care of the welfare of the people, the funding, the events, the trade and everything that came with having to rule over the town. The people's need was put as first priority above all. The town was a peaceful prosperous place under their rule.

But it wasn't enough for me.

I had served the last two generations of the family as their head minister. The way I saw it, they were too lenient; giving everyone whatever they wanted and showing no restraint. I wanted to control this town. I wanted to show people what it really meant to run a town. People had to understand their status and what they deserved. A common civilian had no right to enjoy the privileges and luxury that the Akizuki family enjoyed. They had to know how to be respectful to those much above their pathetic level.

I had thought of many ways to get this town under my control. When the previous Lord and Lady were alive, I planned out and executed many things. Secretly understanding how the town functioned, gathering supporters, stirring rumors to create enemies to the family and anything that could lead to their downfall. It wasn't enough though. Despite how much I tried, majority of the town still showed more loyalty to the Akizuki family than to me.

But when their child was born, it was my chance. The night he was born, there was a heavy rainstorm. The local priest had visited the mansion to bless the new heir despite the heavy rainstorm being a bad omen. He had looked shocked when he saw the child. In fact, we all were. Silver hair and demonic red eyes.....the priest said he was a demon's child and if he were to remain in the town, bad luck would befall the Akizuki family. And since these things were the type to spread like wild fire, I made sure that everyone in the town got to know what the priest had said.

I had never been one to believe in such things even though I was helping the spread of the rumor. I was not the type to be superstitious either. But barely a year after the child was born, the family's health deteriorated. The Lord and Lady fell ill and soon died.

The whole town began to believe it really was the fault of the demon child. I was left to care for the cursed child, Lord Juo. I brought him up keeping him like a pawn in my hands. I had always wanted the position to control this town and I had finally gotten it. With this brat hated by everyone, he was just the Lord in the eyes of the city jurisdiction. To me and to this town, he was nothing but a burden. He was treated the way he deserved to be. I made sure he knew who the superior was, who was in control and who he had to obey.